Study questions effectiveness of colonoscopy in finding colon cancer

According to a new study published in the scientific journal New England Journal of Medicine, exam colonoscopy may not be as beneficial as doctors and scientists think. The findings of the study conducted by The Nordic-European Initiative on Colorectal Cancer (NordICC) reveal that: HE It didn’t make much of a difference in test-related deaths. cancer colon.

Researchers followed nearly 85,000 male and female patients aged 55 to 64 who had colonoscopy – they were observed over a decade. Colonoscopies were performed between June 2009 and June 2014, but patients were observed for a period of time.

After the results of the study, the researchers found that the group that had a colonoscopy had only an 18% reduction in their risk of developing colon cancer compared to the group that did not get tested. So a colonoscopy may not be the best test to discover the disease.

“The absolute risks of colorectal cancer risk and even more colorectal cancer-related deaths were lower than in previous screening trials and were lower than we expected when the trial was designed,” said the study’s lead author and medical gastroenterologist in the Department of Medicine. University of Oslo, Norway, Michael Bretthauer.

Colonoscopy works, but…

Typically, screening tests such as blood or stool testing, endoscopy with sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy are required to find evidence of colon cancer. Although colonoscopy is thought to be more effective than sigmoidoscopy, evidence for the benefits of the test is still lacking.

The study results serve to measure the effectiveness of colonoscopy for colon cancer screening and prevention and may aid future studies on the subject. Colonoscopy is an examination that allows you to visualize the details of the intestine and rectum, and in most cases it is indicated for the detection of polyps and cancers at various stages.